This invention relates to a body exudates absorbent article such as a sanitary napkin, a blood absorbent pad, an incontinent pad, a disposable diaper and the like.
Body exudates absorbent articles such as sanitary napkins or disposable diapers generally comprises a liquid-pervious topsheet, a liquid-impervious backsheet and a liquid-absorbent core disposed between these two sheets. The topsheet is usually made of a nonwoven fabric or a synthetic resin film.
Touch of such article during its actual use can be improved by using a soft and elastic nonwoven fabric. However, if so-called convex core which is convex only in its transversely middle zone is adopted in such article, a nonwoven fabric is forcibly pressed against said convex middle zone of the core and, in consequence, an initial soft elasticity of nonwoven fabric may be lost. On the other hand, a synthetic resin film can not be expected to offer the soft elasticity of a nonwoven fabric.
In view of the problem as has been described above, it is an object of the present invention to provide a body exudates absorbent article adapted to maintain a soft elasticity of a topsheet in spite of a liquid-absorbent core of a so-called convex type adopted in the article.
According to the present invention, there is provided a body exudates absorbent article comprising a liquid-absorbent core having transversely opposite side edges extending in parallel to each other in a longitudinal direction of the article, a liquid-pervious topsheet covering an upper surface of the core and a liquid-impervious backsheet covering a lower surface of the core, wherein the topsheet is formed in a zone covering the core with a plurality of alternating troughs and crests continuously undulating in a transversely direction of the core and the troughs and crests extend in the longitudinal direction.
With the body exudates absorbent article according to the present invention, the amount of body exudates discharged on the napkin flows into and spreads along the respective troughs and is prevented by the crests functioning as barriers from leaking sideways. Both the troughs and the crests easily restore their initial configurations as well as their initial soft touch immediately after their deformation due to a shift of the topsheet or some external pressure exerted thereon.
In spite of the convex configuration of the core adopted by the article, the unique arrangement according to the present invention facilitates the topsheet to be transversely stretched without compressing the convex top of the core and thereby enables a soft elasticity of the core to be maintained.
Consequently, the body exudates absorbent article according to the present invention allows a skin-contactable surface (i.e., the body surface) of the article to be reliably placed in close contact with the wearer""s labium and thereby ensures the body exudates discharged thereon to be prevented from leaking through a gap which might otherwise formed between the absorbent surface and the wearer""s labium.